NACE code 62201: what IT consultancy covers under CAE Rev.4

• Anyone setting up a company The main activity must be chosen at registration.
• Anyone who held a Rev.3 code The new classification changed the numbering in use.
• Anyone bidding for grants or tenders The form asks for the exact code, with no room for doubt.

Computer consultancy. The Portuguese Classification of Economic Activities is how a company tells the Tax Authority, Social Security, the National Statistics Institute (INE) and any other body what sector it operates in.

Within it, 62201 covers businesses whose focus is guiding other organisations through technology decisions: designing the architecture, selecting solutions, planning the infrastructure and providing technical oversight of its implementation.

Because the sector changed. Decree-Law no. 9/2025 replaced Rev.3 with Rev.4, and the revision went beyond the numbers: services that were marginal in 2007, such as cloud or managed security, have grown to the point of deserving their own treatment.

Not reviewed your classification since 2025? Do it now. An old code sits unnoticed for months and only surfaces when it is too late, in the middle of a funding application or a procurement procedure.

At the point where you stop advising and start executing or operating. In everyday business, consultancy includes:

• Assessment Gathering requirements and designing the systems architecture.
• Plans Infrastructure and migration projects.
• Selection Technologies, licensing models and suppliers.
• Continuity Risk analysis and recovery capability.
• Oversight Technical supervision of digital transformation projects.

Whoever designs the solution sits under 62201. Whoever writes code, permanently operates clients' networks and servers, as a managed IT services MSP does, or installs equipment may need another code, or several.

Division 62 gathers IT activities, and that is where the confusion starts:

IT companies often combine several of these activities. In that case, the main one is the activity that generates the most turnover; the others are registered as secondary. Declaring only one when you carry out several is a common and easily avoided mistake.

• Funds and incentives Eligibility is almost always defined by code, and a wrong code rules out the application from the start.
• Public procurement Many tender specifications require the registered activity to match the subject of the contract.
• Professional indemnity The policy follows the declared activity, and the insurer can use the mismatch to reject a claim.
• Sector framework Collective agreements and certain reporting obligations depend on the activity.
• Credibility Demanding clients check a supplier's CAE before entrusting it with critical services.

On SICAE, the official system for looking up codes and the registered classification of any company. The explanatory notes INE published for CAE Rev.4 set out what each code covers and what it excludes.

1. Check early: well before you need the code, never the day before the deadline.
2. Register every activity: rather than forcing everything into a single code.
3. Confirm with two sources: your accountant and the official register, because their readings do not always match.

Disclaimer: this article is for information only and does not replace accounting or legal advice. The formal classification is confirmed on SICAE and with your certified accountant.

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